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Summer reading program rewards students

The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library is sponsoring the 2008 Governor’s Summer Reading program to encourage recreational reading. The program will run June 9-July 18. The theme of this year’s program is “Catch the Reading Bug.”
The program is open to students who are members of the Braille and Talking Book Library. The program is broken into age divisions: ages 7 to 9, ages 10 to 12, and ages 13 to 15. Participants can only read recorded or Braille books for the program and are required to submit written or oral book reports.
“This is a special opportunity for young people who can’t read standard print books but still want to explore the world of reading through Braille and audio books,” said State Librarian Dan Siebersma. “We encourage students to participate in this opportunity to do recreational reading during the summer.”
Participants will receive individual prizes based on the number of book reports completed. In addition, winners will be selected in each age division in both the Talking Book and Braille formats. Plaques will be awarded for first, second and third places. First-place recipients will receive their plaques at an awards ceremony, sponsored by the State Library, in August.
The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library aims to provide equal access to print materials in a format acceptable to all citizens of South Dakota who cannot read standard print. The alternative formats include large print, Braille, cassette recording or electronic files.
The South Dakota Lions’ Foundation offers support for the program. For more information or to register for the program, call the Braille and Talking Book Library at 1-800-423-6665.